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timinbc's review against another edition
2.0
A new record. I didn't think I would ever DNF a book after 660 pages.
After 350 pages, I was enjoying it, and putting up with the leaps of logic and plot.
After 500, I was getting a tad tired of the tedious travel / mayhem cycle, and realizing that the characters weren't going to get more interesting (except maybe Gregorovich).
Then we jump across the universe a bunch, and oh, look, there's Tschitter, what's she doing here, wow, how about that, eh? She's changed teams and "just followed everyone else" - yeah, sure.
Now we jump to Sol, and UMC arrests everyone and it's SO unFAIR and it's like the mean girls are in cha-arge, so it will be fine if I suddenly think of 50 new things my magic suit can do, and they ALL work, no matter how slapdash, against trained soldiers in power suits.
This is where I decided that if CP keeps upping the ante we're going to end up with a key character dying and Kira turning back time so it didn't happen. Or just winking enemies out of existence.
Here I thank the reviewer who posted the spoiler with the plot summary. I read same, and here I am, feeling fully justified in bailing out on this turgid mountain of paper. Not, however, surprised that Noble Heroine got to sigh once more and Do Something Unselfish at the end, as if we didn't know 400 pages earlier that she would have to.
Could this have been a good book? I don't know. Paolini certainly put in a lot of work, but maybe too much of it was watching SF movies and series, and borrowing ideas from all of them (OK, maybe they are tributes). Many details were well worked out, and I applaud that part.
It could also be that this is written for an audience I don't belong to, one that is younger and less into hard SF that's carefully worked out.
I would read a novella about Gregorovich, though.
After 350 pages, I was enjoying it, and putting up with the leaps of logic and plot.
After 500, I was getting a tad tired of the tedious travel / mayhem cycle, and realizing that the characters weren't going to get more interesting (except maybe Gregorovich).
Then we jump across the universe a bunch, and oh, look, there's Tschitter, what's she doing here, wow, how about that, eh? She's changed teams and "just followed everyone else" - yeah, sure.
Now we jump to Sol, and UMC arrests everyone and it's SO unFAIR and it's like the mean girls are in cha-arge, so it will be fine if I suddenly think of 50 new things my magic suit can do, and they ALL work, no matter how slapdash, against trained soldiers in power suits.
This is where I decided that if CP keeps upping the ante we're going to end up with a key character dying and Kira turning back time so it didn't happen. Or just winking enemies out of existence.
Here I thank the reviewer who posted the spoiler with the plot summary. I read same, and here I am, feeling fully justified in bailing out on this turgid mountain of paper. Not, however, surprised that Noble Heroine got to sigh once more and Do Something Unselfish at the end, as if we didn't know 400 pages earlier that she would have to.
Could this have been a good book? I don't know. Paolini certainly put in a lot of work, but maybe too much of it was watching SF movies and series, and borrowing ideas from all of them (OK, maybe they are tributes). Many details were well worked out, and I applaud that part.
It could also be that this is written for an audience I don't belong to, one that is younger and less into hard SF that's carefully worked out.
I would read a novella about Gregorovich, though.
frances_the_red's review against another edition
2.0
Auch wenn Paolini als Autor unglaublich gewachsen ist, kann ich diesem Buch trotzdem keine Begeisterungsstürme entgegen bringen. Die SciFi ist eher 'meh' und irgendwie schon mal da gewesen. Die ganze Zeit hatte ich eher einen YA-Eindruck, statt das Hauptaugenmerk auf gute Plotpunkte zu legen. Der Anfang hat mich dezent gelangweilt und ich wollte schon abbrechen, aber das Ende hat es dann doch noch halbwegs auf ein 'lesbar' retten können. Jüngere Leser, die erst in SciFi eintauchen, haben an diesem Buch vermutlich mehr Spaß.
jodihannah's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
1.5
I have several complaints about this book. First, honestly, it was just trying to be The Expanse Series, or possibly The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, but it did a pretty bad job of it. Second, it was far, far too long. The detail was painful in a way that did little to move the plot forward. Third, this guy. This guy cannot write women. Not only can he not write women, but the main character is a woman and... she was awful. Like, she just lives for men, apparently? And can't do anything without a man encouraging her to? I don't know. This guy just can't write women. He also used the word "bosom" when referring to her "children". Yeah, no. I mean, it's cringy when a woman uses the word "bosom", but when a man does it...yuck. Anyway, not a great book. Finally, the "science" was definitely more of a magic thing. I mean, he even used the word "magic" for some of it.
I laughed out loud once, so I gave it a .5 star.
I laughed out loud once, so I gave it a .5 star.
psychominnie624's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I enjoyed this book until the last about 10%. On a reread that stayed consistent and I just can’t get on board with her turning into a space station.
testaroscia's review against another edition
4.0
Hovered long over 4 or 3 stars on this one. It won the GR SciFi category for 2020 but this did not blow me out of the water. Paolini gets the nudge to four out of sheer hard work put into it (especially the Science appendix that demonstrates diligence to cover what is not his background, which was the "hat tip" moment I got for non-historians like Follet attempting Historical Novels)
the 3 star part is that it is hardly an original topic, nor plot., but it was a fun ride and I do, again, give a nod for him deciding to keep it all in one book instead of splitting it into two.
the 3 star part is that it is hardly an original topic, nor plot., but it was a fun ride and I do, again, give a nod for him deciding to keep it all in one book instead of splitting it into two.
blackrein's review against another edition
5.0
Very good read/listen. It has strong Alien and Mass Effect themes throughout. A strong female character. Strong supporting cast that gives Firefly comradery vibes (even Koren slang lol).
The aliens could have used some more imagination as i really only imagined them to be bugs or crustaceans from earth, only super sized so that they'd be a threat. Seems like thats the go-to alien form for several authors.
Absolutely LOVED Jennifer Hale as the narrator. She has such a smooth voice and perfectly fit this story.
I also love when the title appears in the story and that happened towards the end.
The aliens could have used some more imagination as i really only imagined them to be bugs or crustaceans from earth, only super sized so that they'd be a threat. Seems like thats the go-to alien form for several authors.
Absolutely LOVED Jennifer Hale as the narrator. She has such a smooth voice and perfectly fit this story.
I also love when the title appears in the story and that happened towards the end.
thevolatilev's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
tamilynn1313's review against another edition
Just couldn’t get into it- space aliens aren’t my thing.
earthtoamber's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
willjacks's review against another edition
4.0
A lengthy book that in all honesty could’ve been edited down to about 650 instead of a behemoth 870+ pages. The story wears its influences on its sleeves, a difficult aspect of sci fi that most writers can’t help but include or pay homage to. However, the amount of attention to detail, scientific awareness and overall preparedness of the author is astounding. The afterword really painted a picture as to how this book slowly came into existence and the perseverance of the author; who believed in his heart and soul that the idea he had 14 years ago was worth all the agony. I would say that this is a more accessible Children of Time, where the science-y jargon can be completely bypassed by the reader or listener if it suits them. It’s fascinating, don’t get me wrong, but the dialogue between characters is so down to Earth and plucky that it sometimes feels like a Marvel movie rather than a deadly serious sci-fi. Not wanting to spoil anything, the story is great and the ending is sublime. Only other complaint is that the repetition of certain words and phrases became slightly distracting. However, a book this long is bound to have some editing issues, which can also be said of the audio recording which on a couple of occasions included outtakes and false starts. A great book, highly recommend for those with patience.